"Internal Waves" Advancing along Submarine Canyons.

Patterns of alternating up- and downcanyon currents have been traced along the axes of submarine canyons off California. The patterns arrive later at stations nearer the heads of coastal canyons. Where a canyon heads between two islands, the patterns advance down the axis. The propagation speeds of these patterns were estimated as 25 to 88 centimeters per second. Internal waves are the probable explanation.